Tehaleh

BONNEY LAKE — Originally, Lisa Peterson came for the lattes at Caffé D'arte.

"But then it was like, wait, there's this incredible community here," says the Tehaleh homeowner. "I walked the gorgeous trails, I met the amazing people here, and I was hooked."

Peterson says she is among many residents who gather at The Post at Tehaleh for weekly club meetings and to relax with friends at its coffee shop. The community also has six parks, 7.5 miles of trails and views of Mount Rainier.

"The things we love most are the trails, the beauty of the forest and the incredible views — having that majestic mountain staring back at you never gets old," she says. "[Our] favorite part of our home is the outdoor living space, sitting around the fireplace at night and listening to the sounds of owls and other wildlife."

Tours of 14 models and 10 move-in-ready homes are available this weekend at Tehaleh, where homes are built by Quadrant Homes, Benjamin Ryan Communities, Lennar, Richmond American Homes and Trilogy at Tehaleh.

For Peterson and her family, access to the outdoors is a big part of the appeal of Tehaleh. Every morning, she walks the trails around her house with the family dog.

"There's a greenbelt behind our house, and I can literally walk out my front door and be on the trailhead in what feels like seconds," she says.

Peterson and her husband, Eric, often see birds, deer and herds of elk on their walks. Their 18-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter also love to spend time hiking the trails with friends or playing on the baseball field at Donald Eismann Elementary School, which is located within Tehaleh.

Family walks often end at The Post, where the family dog is welcome.

"I love that The Post is dog-friendly, and we can bring [our dog] in with us instead of having to leave her outside," Peterson says. "She's spoiled rotten — she knows there's always a biscuit waiting for her there."

The Petersons knew they were ready for a long-term commitment when they began looking for their new house.

"We were hoping to find the home that will take us into retirement — and we knew this was the one," Peterson says. "Our first home was a much older house, and we had to put a lot of sweat equity into it. It was so appealing to walk into a home where everything was new and just the way we wanted it."

Peterson says there is a sense of community at Tehaleh.

"In other neighborhoods I've lived in, people hardly leave their homes," she says. "But here, you see people standing on the street talking to their neighbors all the time, and you're always meeting new people at community events.

"After only a couple of weeks, I already felt like our neighbors were looking out for us. They know us and they're really invested in who we are as people."

Tehaleh is co-owned by North America Sekisui House, the U.S. business unit of Sekisui House, Japan's largest homebuilder; and Newland Real Estate Group, whose development business, Newland Communities, is the largest private developer of planned residential and urban mixed-use communities in the U.S.